Assessing Loss Due to Theft

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Assessing Loss Due to Theft

Lakhani Watch Company and Sravya Watch Company were adjacent watch shops in Hyderabad. Both the shops vied with each other for market share. The owners of both the shops were close family friends. It was impossible for any function to be held in either family without the presence of the other family. The owners of both the shops were looking forward to the new season for more business. Sales over the previous two months had been a bit dull because of the off-season period. The demand for watches was expected to increase during the upcoming marriage season, when customers would purchase watches for themselves or for their family members, or to give as gifts to their near and dear ones. Both the shops were trying innovative methods to promote their products and thereby capture the market. Slowly, as expected, sales began picking up. One day, Shobha Rao, wife of Narayana Rao, owner of Lakhani Watch Company, invited Shilpa Chetty, wife of Sunil Chetty, owner of Sravya Watch Company, to her house for some function.

Unfortunately, during the function the two ladies got into an argument. This soon developed into a major quarrel. Although the two were good friends, differences crept in between them, which gradually engulfed both the families.

One day, when business was at its peak, Rao noticed some unusual activity on the road. He saw five persons with tapes and other measuring equipment. While two of them were busy measuring the width of the road, the others were observing the buildings situated on either side of the road and noting down something.

Anxiously, Rao asked one of the persons measuring the road, "What are you people up to? Why are you measuring the road and observing the buildings on either side of it?" The answer he received almost made him faint.

The person whom Rao had asked the question replied, "In order to ease traffic congestion, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has started a road widening program. In order to achieve its objective of widening roads, the government has given the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad the right to demolish buildings and constructions that are responsible for making the roads narrow and congested. In this project, this street is one of the targets. It being a commercial area, the traffic flow frequently gets interrupted by heavy vehicular traffic. The government, therefore, wants to widen this road."

On hearing this, all the shop owners in the locality decided to form a group and oppose the government's move. Lakhani Watch Company and Sravya Watch Company were going to be significantly affected by the road widening scheme. If road widening was allowed to proceed, nearly 50% of the construction of both the buildings would be demolished.

A week after this incident, when Chetty arrived at the market in the morning to open his shop, he was surprised to see many people gathered around it. As soon as they saw him, they asked him to open his shop. Chetty was quite confused and unable to understand what was going on. He asked one of the persons in the group, "Why are you all so eager to have my shop opened? Why are so many people gathered here?" The person replied, "The shop adjacent to yours was burgled last night. We are all very anxious to know whether the stock in your shop is safe or not."

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